enemies

Last week on Univision while during an interview aimed at Hispanics, President Obama referred to Republicans as “enemies”. As you might imagine, that raised a bit of a stir on the right side of things.

Said Obama:

‘We’re gonna punish our enemies, and we’re gonna reward our friends who stand with us on issues that are important to us’ — if they don’t see that kind of upsurge in voting in this election — then I think it’s going to be harder. And that’s why I think it’s so important that people focus on voting on November 2nd."

Knowing he was going to take heat over the word used and before House minority leader John Boehner could deliver a well deserved scolding, Obama attempted to defuse the situation.

“Now the Republicans are saying that I’m calling them enemies,” Obama said during a get-out-the-vote to The Michael Baisden Show. “What I’m saying is you’re an opponent of this particular provision, comprehensive immigration reform, which is something very different.”

Well actually, no, it’s not. It is certainly a rather poor attempt at damage control, but it is clear in a interview in which Obama was attempting to rally that particular base constituency during an election season that the object of the “enemies” remark was the GOP. And, the use of the word “enemies” was purposeful and calculated. It was meant to convey a message that the opposing party was an "enemy" of that which Hispanics wanted and it was important that they understand that message and act on in Nov. 2nd.

This wasn’t some unscripted slip of the tongue or poorly phrased appeal as he’s trying to spin it now. It was exactly how the post-partisan president views the political landscape and the other party.

Now the "smartest man in the room" is attempting this transparent and rather weak counter to his "enemies" remark.

I on the other hand have no problem attaching the word “enemy” to those on the left who would take my liberty and trash my rights. Same for those on the right with the same inclinations.

The fact that Obama used the word, however, is telling. It is another indicator to me that he has no intention of doing what Bill Clinton did when he and the Democrats lost the House in 1994. Obama is an inflexible ideologue who will go down with his leaky ship rather than do what is necessary to work across the isle. The “enemies” remark does more than any other to finally pop the “post-partisan” bubble of nonsense he spun on the campaign trail. And while I’m sure he’ll attempt to pin the failure of bi-partisanship on the right, it is clear, at least to me after watching the last 2 years, that there never was any serious desire or attempt on the part of the administration to make bi-partisanship work.

As it turns out – that’s fine with me. But let’s put the claim that it is something desired by this president and administration to rest once and for all.